"Careful."

Yang whispered the advice directly in her sister's ear. From that, Ruby frowned.

The red reaper had propped up her weapon on a snowy hill and took aim. It had been deathly quiet. The circumstances required not even the slightest movement.

Unfortunately, Yang's incessant advice was getting old. Instead of helping, it was making it hard for Ruby to concentrate on the target.

"Would you shut it already?" Ruby said lowly. "Who's the best shot here?"

"Sorry, but that deer has tons of meat. We could all have our fill of dinner tonight. Don't miss."

Ruby slyly smiled as she narrowed her eyes. "That's not up to me, is it?"

Due to snow scouring the ground, it was easy to latch onto her target. The large, bulky deer stood out in comparison to the pure white background. The male had heavy set antlers and was brown.

The sight was beautiful. Like the buck was painted on a canvas.

Despite the breathtaking sight, they were here to get the job done. Providing a meal for everyone back at the cabin.

From experience, Ruby knew that regular bullets infect her prize, thus making the animals dangerous to eat. To fix that problem, she elected to use a single rubber bullet.

Her finger pulled down on the trigger-

BOOM!

The bullet whizzed over the snow, making an obvious trail as the powder whirled violently. In a mere second, the rubber bullet thudded on the large deer's forehead. The impact was so sudden that the animal began thrashing around in a daze. It flung its antlers wildly and let out high-pitched screeches of distress.

It was then that a black figure leaped out from behind a broad tree and slid across the ground. To propel her, glyphs dazzled on top of the snow, making the area around her dark form sparkle.

With her katana poised, Blake soared and stabbed the deer in the neck at intense speeds. From the harsh impact, the wild animal ceased movement before letting out a final shriek. To make sure the deer wouldn't feel any pain, Blake sliced all the way through the muscle as red spurted onto white.

It was an instant kill as the muscular deer dropped to the ground. To make sure it wasn't drawing breath, Blake set a hand over its gorged stomach.

Satisfied there was nothing, Blake looked up at the sisters several feet away and gave them the signal.

From that, the sisters rushed down to meet their friend. Since Weiss was hidden alongside Blake, she hopped out from behind the tree and joined her friends by the prize.

"Yes! That was awesome!" Yang cheered. "This'll be good food tonight! Good job, guys."

The ladybug pair and her girlfriend grinned.

"Is he dead for sure?" Weiss asked, still eyeing the downed animal.

Seeing the carcass of the deer was saddening, but necessary. This was the only way to get food. No one wanted to go to the kingdom of Atlas anytime soon. Their security is top-notch and stricter than Vale's.

"He didn't suffer," Blake assured. "I finished it as quickly as I could."

"The whole thing lasted about five seconds," Ruby recalled. "That's a record."

Yang noticed her girlfriend had a hand over her side. Her face was a slightly grimacing. Any normal person would've missed her pained expression.

"You okay, princess? Is it bothering you again?"

"It's just sore is all," Weiss replied. "It's nothing to worry about, see?"

To prove it, the lion faunus lifted the several layers of shirts to show her friends the old wound. True to her word, the scar on her side was a jagged pinkish hue. It was still recovering from the blade that ran through her several months before.

When it healed itself as much as it could, Wilhelmina stitched her up. That was a few weeks ago, so now the skin was looking more healthy now that it could close properly.

That stitching process was awful, but necessary. It was a far cry than the previous torture she endured.

Thanks to the stitches, her wound was finally sealed and healing properly.

"Would ya look at that," Yang grinned as she bent down to inspect it. "A couple of months did you some good."

Without warning, the blonde leaned in and pecked her stomach. Directly on the lone line.

Weiss' cheeks flushed and she hesitantly stepped back. She wouldn't have minded it if the ladybug pair wasn't here.

"Y-Yang!"

Not at all affected by her flustered reaction, Yang replied. "I love you deerly."

Blake audibly face palmed. "How long were you waiting to use that one?"

"A while," Yang admitted sheepishly. "Not bad, eh? Eh?"

"Boo!" Ruby gave her thumbs down. "Three out of ten."

Yang scoffed. "Don't gimme that it was good!"

Blake ignored her friend's reaction and bent down to get at eye-level with Weiss' old injury.

"The scar is much smaller," the cat faunus observed. "And your other cuts have healed nicely."

"Only thanks to all your efforts," Weiss stated firmly and pulled down her shirt. The frigid air was starting to freeze her skin. "Let's get going. The temperature will drop soon."

With that, the ex-princess knelt to lift the kill, but Yang stopped her by grabbing her arm.

"Leave this to me," the blonde rolled up her sleeves. She wasn't too keen on getting her warm clothes covered in blood. "This hunk of meat's heavy."

"Are you sure?" Blake asked.

Yang experimentally swung her arms around to stretch. "Yeah, it'll be a nice workout."

The blonde knelt and grabbed the front of the buck. She slowly maneuvered it on top of her form. It was difficult, so her three friends helped position it properly to make it easier on her.

"Tell us if you need help," Ruby said.

"You gotcha."

The four friends began walking back to their small cabin in the snow. At first, Yang had to adjust the carcass a few times, but eventually it was in a comfortable position. The dead weight proved no challenge to her as she kept a steady pace to walk alongside each other.

As they walked, the buck left behind a trail of blood in the snow.

"This'll be a nice change," Ruby chirped happily. "I was getting tired of fish and potatoes."

Blake licked her lips, almost drooling. "I could eat fish all day."

Her three friends sent her playful glares.

"What? They're good!"

"You and your handy faunus traits," Yang grumbled.

Blake shrugged. "Not my fault I'm built better for this than you guys," she said with a sarcastic bite.

"Excuse me," Yang feigned being offended. "Who's the one carrying this giant ass carcass?"

"Hey, we offered to help," Blake stated.

"I want to see the look on Dad's face when he sees it!" Yang beamed. "He'll keel over."

Ruby held her chin in thought. "How are we going to prepare it? It's so big."

"We'll leave it up to you guys," Blake replied.

"It's not our problem," Weiss added with a smirk.

"It'll take a while to cook," Ruby mumbled in thought. "I wonder which knife Dad'll wanna use."

Yang smiled from the thought of her Tai's reaction. "If push comes to shove you can use Crescent Rose."

"Not a bad idea," Ruby replied.

As Yang kept walking, she heaved the carcass above her head. Not a single part of it grazed her skin. She was doing this to show off and to build muscle. The mere sight caused Weiss to blush, something Yang didn't miss.

"Smartass and Dumbass will go crazy for this," the blonde claimed.

"Neptune and Sun are bottomless pits," Weiss stated as a fact. "I don't know how they do it. They just keep eating. Nothing is enough!"

"Not everyone can have two bites and be full like you, princess," Yang retorted with a smirk.

Weiss sent her a playful glare.

"They're boys," Ruby declared. "Don't boys eat a lot?"

"Especially when they're growing," Yang pointed out. "Who wants to bet their balls haven't dropped yet?"

Giddy laughter.

"That's horrible," Blake fake wiped a tear, her words betrayed her when she giggled. "We're so mean."

"They've come a long way," Ruby gave them credit. "They're definitely not the same people we met last year."

"Does Sun still steal apples?" Yang asked.

"That's besides the point," Ruby stated.

More chuckles.

The group cut their laughter when there was a sudden deep roar directly behind them. Instantly, the girls whirled around with their weapons poised. Sure enough, there was a bear. There was plenty of space between them and the predator, but it was still too close for comfort.

"Wa!" Ruby cried. "That thing's huge!"

The brown bear growled lowly and sunk its giant paws into the snow.

"Isn't it winter? Why isn't it hibernating?" Blake asked.

"Mother did warn us about their strange behavior," Weiss pointed out.

Another menacing roar.

It was then that Weiss stared at the giant deer over her girlfriend's form and glanced at the beast. The predator sniffed the air greedily and swiped at the red snow.

"It wants our kill," the lion faunus deduced.

Gently, Yang set down the carcass and cocked her gauntlets. "Not happenin'."

"What're you-"

Weiss was cut off when her girlfriend cupped her hands over her mouth to yell. "Leave, ya asshole! It's ours! Go get your own!"

Without warning, the massive bear charged the group.

"Way to upset him," Blake falsely praised in annoyance.

Instead of panicking, the girls took defensive stances.

"Yang," Ruby called. "Guard the carcass. I'll handle him."

Since Ruby hadn't fought anything in a while, she was eager. Crescent Rose hadn't been spun around in forever. The scythe was hungry.

"You sure, Rubes?"

"Yeah, be right back!"

As Ruby shot off with her speed semblance, Blake called out. "Be careful."

Ruby barely heard her girlfriend over the yelling of the wind. She bolted so fast that her face was almost frozen. Wanting to end this soon, Ruby whirled her scythe around.

Like an executioner, she sliced off the beast's head before it could even react. The body dropped like a sack of potatoes as the head rolled away. Not even fazed, Ruby sheathed her weapon and turned around to face her friends, who were waiting.

Ruby wasn't proud of what she'd done, but it was to protect her friends. They were finally almost recovered, too. She wasn't about to chance the smallest possibility of an injury.

Like one of her bullets, the red reaper rocketed over to her friends. She was greeted with proud smiles.

"Taken care of!"

"That was impressive, Ruby," Weiss praised.

Ruby smiled sheepishly. "Hehe, thanks."

Yang couldn't pry her eyes off the giant brown carcass. "Anyone ever eaten a bear?"

"Ew, that's weird," Ruby yelped.

"Are you insane?" Weiss asked. "That bear is easily three hundred pounds. We can't even carry it back."

"I could if this deer wasn't hoggin' up so much space," Yang adjusted the carcass on her back.

Glad her friends weren't shaken up, Blake smiled. "Let's just get back before another bear finds us."

"I'd be bearly surprised," Yang said with a broad grin.

More groans.


It had taken a couple of hours, but eventually the buck had been prepared.

Thanks to Sun, Neptune, Wilhelmina, Ruby, and Taiyang's efforts, dinner was served at a decent time.

They were gathered in a circle next to the fire.

Multiple eager jaws munched on the gamy meat. It was cooked perfectly with a red center and brown along the edges.

Near perfection, although a tad chewy.

"Did the buck put up much of a fight? How long did it take you to kill it?" Tai asked after he swallowed a bite.

"About five seconds," Blake stated. "Beat the previous record."

Wilhelmina nodded, obviously very impressed with the number. "And the bear?"

"Like an entire second," Ruby bragged. "He was too big to dodge my sweetheart."

Neptune shuddered from the thought of Ruby's massive scythe slicing his own neck. "God, that had to be terrifying for the bear."

"Remind me not to piss you off," Sun said to the red reaper.

"Oh, mama Schnee, before I forget," Yang chirped. "Can you make Weiss more medicine? Her injury was bothering her earlier."

That earned a glare from her girlfriend.

"What? It was!"

Despite the look, Weiss was touched Yang thought about her. Then again, she wasn't surprised. Yang had proved to be a very nurturing and protective person. Especially toward her girlfriend.

It was so sweet.

Without realizing, a smile slipped on Weiss' lips.

From the information, Wilhelmina set down her plate of meat. "I'll make it now."

"Mom," Weiss almost scolded. "At least finish your dinner."

Ruby stuffed another hearty chunk in her mouth. "Tonight's dindin is too good to pass up. Don't let it get cold."

"Exactly," Weiss nodded.

Seeing as her daughter was genuinely worried, the former queen sat and picked at her plate. "Very well. I just don't want my Snowflake to be in pain."

Qrow held up his glass of the strong-smelling liquid. "My offer still stands on the mead."

Weiss raised a hand, not at all interested in the alcohol. "I'll pass."

Since Qrow offered it so much, Ms. Schnee casually stole his cup. Before he could protest, she took a shot with one gulp. Then, she set down the glass on the table and let out a satisfied sigh.

Everyone stared at her, even her sons.

Azure orbs contained nothing but pure innocence as she glanced around in confusion.

"What?"

"Holy shit," Yang cursed. "Mama Schnee can hold her liquor!"

"Mom!" Weiss chided.

"What's the matter, princess?" Yang teased. "You jealous cuz you're a lightweight?"

"Hardly."

Meanwhile, Taiyang and Qrow could only watch her with their jaws dropped. She didn't even cringe from the burning sensation. Like she'd taken shots millions of times before.

"Nice!" Tai cheered. "Can you teach me how to do that? I can never hold it down."

Wilhelmina crossed her arms and leaned back cooly in her chair.

"So when I do it, I'm a 'bad role model', but when she does it she's praised?" Qrow mumbled. "That's not fair."

"She's the former queen," Yang pointed out. "It was unexpected is all."

"It's from all that wine I used to drink," Wilhelmina revealed. "I miss it dearly."

"Wine?" Qrow scoffed. "That stuff's disgusting compared to mead."

"It is an acquired taste, I will admit," Wilhelmina said softly. "Truth is, that was the only liquor in my old home. Jacques refused to buy any other alcohol."

Taiyang grinned. He had a sneaking suspicion as to why that was. "Because the rest is for the peasants?"

Wilhelmina sighed and looked to the floor. "Precisely. He never allowed us to eat or drink things associated with the peasant lifestyle. He had an ill and old mind."

From the memories, Weiss' lion ears flicked. It was true. When she was a child still living in the castle, she'd only eaten the finest gourmet meals. All this talk made her think about her old home. Despite not liking her father, she missed living there.

It was good to her.

The ex-princess gazed around the small cabin. There were the brothers, who were laughing and devouring the steaming food. There was Ruby and Blake, who were teasingly feeding each other.

A grip on her hand.

Azure pools glimpsed up to see the smiling Yang.

"What's up? You look like you're thinkin' about something."

There was her beloved girlfriend.

Her mother.

Taiyang the protector.

And Qrow the hunter.

The perfect group she'd come to love.

Because she loved them, she knew...

"We can't stay here forever."

To Weiss' luck, she said that when the home was suddenly silent. Not a single pair of ears missed the determined comment.

"She's right," Taiyang admitted. "It's cozy here, but it's hardly a way to live."

"He's gotta point," Neptune stated. "In Vale, at least we were making progress toward our goal. Now, we're just existing."

After a deep breath, Weiss continued.

"We need go back to Vale, but this time… it'll be ours."

From the statement, the room was stunned into silence.

After everything they'd been through the last year, it was time.

To claim their rights.

Now that things were back to normal, Weiss firmly believed it was time to leave the cabin and go back to Vale.

Where they truly belonged.

Qrow grinned widely. "I like her."

Yang's tone took a solemn turn. "You think we're ready?"

"As ready as we'll ever be."


The lyrics from Life Will Change version by Amalee: "Come to claim our rights. It's time!" This refers to the revolution moving forward.

I feel the time skip is appropriate. We don't want to wait too long for her to recover, now do we?

Stay dandy,

~Toto